Breaded or batter coated food products are widely popular in food service and retail sectors due to their convenience and taste appeal. Fish and other seafood, chicken, meat, and vegetable products are popular with consumers in breaded or batter coated forms.
Typically, the product is coated with a batter mixture of flour, starch and egg and then fried. Alternatively, before frying, the batter coated food product is coated with a breading such as corn meal, bread or cracker crumbs, and is then fried.
Breaded fish portions are manufactured by cutting portions of fish from frozen blocks followed by application of batter, breading if desired, and frying. Natural fish fillets are also offered for sale in batter coated and breaded forms. Food products coated in this manner absorb substantial amounts of oil affecting the taste, texture and nutritional value of the products. Unbreaded, batter free food products which are grillable or broilable are attractive to the health conscious consumer.
Certain batter free or unbreaded food products have been generally unsuitable for cooking on a grill or in a broiler, for example, unbreaded fish portions. When cooked on a grill or broiler which typically reaches temperatures of 500.degree. to 700.degree. F., the fish flesh chars, burns, and sticks to the heated surfaces. Additionally, the portions begin to separate into individual pieces of fillets. Glazes which are based on fats and gums do not perform adequately during grilling or broiling. The glazes tend to evaporate, burn off or otherwise detach from the food product exposing unprotected areas of the food product to high temperatures causing charring, adhesion to the hot cooking surface and break-up of the food product. Fish portions treated in this manner are susceptible to the same difficulties encountered with untreated portions; they adhere to heated surfaces, char, and break into pieces.
It is one objective of the present invention to provide a method of successfully cooking unbreaded or batter free food products including fish portions on a grill or broiler.
A further objective is to provide an edible artificial skin encased food product which resists sticking to a grill or broiler upon cooking.
Still another objective is to provide an edible, artificial skin-encased food product which retains more of its structural integrity upon grilling or broiling.
Another objective is to provide an edible artificial skin which need not be discernable upon eating, while substantially maintaining the texture, flavor and juiciness of the food product.
A further objective is to provide a composition which forms an edible artificial skin about a food product which can be grilled or broiled.
Still another objective is to provide methods of preparing such edible artificial skins.
It is also an objective of the invention to provide an artificial skin coated food product that can be microwaved, baked, or fried.
These and other objectives will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings contained herein.